Bishop Auckland residents have been invited to a public consultation event on plans for new affordable homes in their community.
County Durham Housing Group has plans to build 12 wheelchair accessible bungalows on land in Howard Close in the heart of Bishop Auckland. The two-bedroom bungalows would be designed from the outset specifically to accommodate wheelchair users and would include features such as level access, wheelchair storage and wet rooms to make day-to-day life easier for residents. All of the homes would be available for affordable rent once completed.
Featuring high levels of insulation, the latest heating systems and double glazing; they are expected to bring big savings to tenants when compared with older homes, particularly those in the private rented sector.
The consultation event takes place on Thursday, 1 June at Auckland Youth and Community Centre, Walker Drive, between 4pm and 6pm. Staff from County Durham Housing Group will be on hand to talk about the project and show local residents detailed plans of the proposed new homes.
County Durham Housing Group Chief Executive, Bill Fullen, said: “We hope that these new homes can help to meet demand for high quality and affordable new homes in Bishop Auckland. It’s particularly important for us to provide such specialist homes that private sector developers often find difficult to cater for.
“We want to hear local people’s views on the proposals and to answer any questions they may have about the potential development.”
The development forms part of an overall 297 home new build programme by the group between the Tyne and Tees across a three year period. By 2020, County Durham Housing Group will have invested over £30m across 17 sites providing a significant boost to employment in the area.
“Demand for affordable homes has probably never been higher. By working with the local community and a range of partners in the public and private sector, housing associations like ourselves are best placed to deliver the new affordable homes that hard working families desperately need.” Mr Fullen added.
Last year housing associations like County Durham Housing Group built 40,000 new homes – 29 per cent of all housebuilding in England and contributing £1.9bn to the economy.